DAN ROONEY, 34
Raising money for families of fallen soldiers
Fallenheroesfoundation.org
"I'm a captain in the Oklahoma Air National Guard and a Class A PGA pro. I love golf. You remember 'Maverick' from Top Gun? Well, my call sign is 'Noonan.' I've served two tours of duty in Iraq, flying night missions, making strategic strikes to help the ground forces. I go back next year. With almost 4,000 U.S. soldiers killed and nearly 30,000 wounded, there's a need to help the families of the fallen. They've lost fathers, mothers. My idea was very simple: Saturday, Sept. 1, was Patriot Golf Day. More than 3,200 courses across America raised their greens fees that day by one dollar, with proceeds going to families. We raised more than $500,000. My motivation for this was the same as flying an F-16 in combat: to help the team. It only costs a dollar, and we'll do it again next year. I think of it as the largest hall pass ever, a built-in excuse to play. A half-million guys can say to their wives, 'Sorry, honey. Can't mow the lawn today — my country needs me.' "
Help us choose the 2008 Innovators!
Credit: Mark Kegans
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